COFFEE DIARY: The Barn

Just before Christmas I was asked to translate this article about a new Prenzlauerberg Cafe for one
of my translation classes. The owner, who is rather unfairly nicknamed a 'coffee nazi', was criticised for his 'purist -not to say militant approach to coffee drinking'. If you were thinking of using this cafe as a moving office or a place to meet with other mums and toddlers, then think again. Pushchairs, laptops and loud phone calls are banned, as well as spoons, sugar and extra milk. Naturally, upon reading this article I was intrigued and made sure that I stopped by on my recent trip to Berlin.  I was already a fan of The Barn's coffee expertise, but this place really takes the term 'coffee-snob' one step further.

I turned up on a snowy weekday afternoon and was strangely comforted by the slick, lab-like interior. It's a large space and unlike a lot of cafes in Berlin, exudes an unusual tranquility. Perhaps this has something to do with the no-laptop, no-pushchair rule. I went for my standard Flat White order, but I would like to return and check out their drip-filter because those machines looked pretty impressive. Everything was timed and presented to perfection. My only complaint was the lack of toilet facilities, which seemed a little ridiculous. Nevertheless, I think the general controversy around the place is unfounded. There are certainly enough Bio-Mummy and Laptop friendly cafes in Berlin to compensate for one cafe owner putting his foot down. Sometimes people just want to sit quietly and sip their espresso, which is exactly what Ralf Rüller facilitates. 

1 comment :

  1. I work in a cafe & I love it when I see articles about cafes like this. Good on the guy, I say. We get so sick of parents who let their children do whatever they like in the shop, including throwing all of their food on the floor - and then just leaving, so we have to clean up their mess! I hate them. I once read an article about a cafe in France that charges different prices for the same coffee; customers get charged the highest price if they are rude/blunt, and the lowest price if they are friendly and polite. I LOVE IT. ;)
    Coco @ hennahaare.blogspot.co.uk

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